When did you begin making/decorating things on your own?

[cheryl]

I remember being at most 6 or 7 and making grass dolls, shallow paper boxes (through folding only), paper and foil jewellery, stuffed tissue paper fish, and storybooks. The books were just folios that I sometimes tied together with string or yarn. The stories I made up and accompanied with drawings. I think my earliest books did not have text in them, but the stories were so vivid in my mind that that didn't matter. I also made cardboard box doll houses and furniture at around 7 or 8.

At around that age I also made popsicle stick boxes and "TVs" ... a cardboard box (often a Kleenex box) with a story on a long sheet (usually taped together) that was turned by pencils which had been poked through the box. If I can find an example online, I'll post it. My mother had a set of hardcover books "The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls", and volume 5 was the arts & crafts book. My favourite, of course. :) It was also easy to make variations of the cafts in those books. I also LOVED making things out of sticks and rocks.

Crafting levelled off when my parents sent me to Jamaica to live, but I did have the opportunity when I was a teen to show others how to make paper chains to decorate the dorms for Christmas. I don't remember making much during my teens, but as an adult I started making clocks out of foam rings and ribbon. I bought the clockworks from Lewiscraft (the chain closed down a couple of years ago, to my utter dismay). I wrapped the foam with ribbon. For the face I used board ... I don't quite remember what type of board it was, but it was denser and much stiffer than cardboard, and smooth on each side like bristol board. It wasn't foamboard. Anyway, I'm veering off topic!

[cheryl]

Crafting relaxes me too. Sometimes I feel the soothingness of it with a touch of glee ... it feels healthy for my mind. How interesting, raised by a mother who not only did crafts but sold her pieces too. I love semi-precious stones. I have some beads waiting to be assembled into jewellery but it's going to be quite a while before I can get to them. My favourites are autumn jasper and yellow moss agate. Semi-precious stones make me feel as if I'm in touch with real ancient history.

I learned jewellery-making through books. I love teh Bead Fantasies series. What do you do while beading? Phone? Music?
I have a bead embroidery book and am dying to get into it. Sooooo many crafts to learn and do, but so little money and time to spare. Bleh!

[cheryl]

Ocho Rios! I went there once as a child and have held those memories dearly ever since. I went to Dunns River Falls. I don't remember anywhere else though as I was quite young. My family is primarily country folk. We cohm fram Clah-ren-dan. Ev'rybady love fi seh Clah-ren-dan a bush, but mi love it! Some a mi fam'ly dem ina Mieh-Pen. Some deh a Kingstone. Mi gat some fam'ly ina Independent City an' St. Thamas.

There's a big family renuion there this year which unfortunately I won't be going to but my older son I'll be able to enjoy it through vicariously. haha I went to Knox College from May Pen Primary.

I love your sharing of your Jamaican crafting. I felt like I was there when reading it. And how innovative, using the coconut shells like that.

Oh yes, nice handles. No wonder you sold them easily.

[cheryl]

Much of my drawing I learned from comic books. I still love comic books also I haven't read one in years and years. My sons messed with my comic book collection and now they're in various piles in different places! Cards! That's another thing I used to make a lot of when I was a kid! It was soooooo much fun. My favourite type was the one with 4 triangular "doors" on the front.